My experiences of teaching biology in Mulbadaw Secondary School and adventures throughout Tanzania.

Saturday, 18 June 2011

Habari!

I have officially started learning Swahili (Kiswahili in Swahili) and I can acutally say more than 2 words! Yay! Maybe because my happiness over the next two years depends on it, I've been trying a lil harder than Spanish. Today was another day packed full with lectures and lessons. There's been no time to go online which is really sad, but maybe also really good because then I don't think about how homesick I am and how much I miss home. This internet cafe closes at 8 so I only have like 15 more minutes. Eek! And so much to write. Here goes:I used my first choo (bathroom...but not in a Western sense) today. It is basically a hole in the ground where you squat and are expected to use your left (that's important) hand and some water from a nearby bucket to wipe yourself off. PC volunteers usually bring toilet paper instead...I kept with that trend. No dirty left hand for me. Mish, you'd love the food here. It's allll carbs. I've been struggling to get more protein from the hard boiled eggs and beans, which are basically 70% of my diet right now. I finally ate one of my two remaining Clif bars because I'm convinced I lacking a LOT of vitamins. I think that'll change when we move into our host families. Speaking of which, we drive to Morogoro tomorrow, have Chakula (meal or lunch) and a Swahili session and then get dropped off at our host families at 2:00pm. OMG I'm so nervous! IDK the types of amenities they'll have there but I will learn the essentials for living in Tanzania over the next two months of living with them. They will teach me how to cook, clean my room, wash my clothes, use a charcoal iron to iro nmy clothes, light a kerosene lamp, start a charcoal stove...Oh boy, life is going to be different.I will be living with my host family until August 24th, but I won't receive the site of my post until August 5th (so please don't ask until then!). Then I will meet my headmaster of the school where I'll be working and get my house and such. Apparently like a ton of PCV's here hire a houseboy/girl to clean their clothes, wash their house and cook their food. It cost like 20 American dollars/month, and supposedly that's over paying.So, as I said tonight is our last night at this Christian compound. I plan on enjoying a African beer or two...there are some good ones at the bar here. A milk stout that's awesome...comparable to a Guiness...and lager that starts with a "N" that's super yummy and this famous one called "Tusker" that's started in East Africa and named after the elephant that killed one of the owners. There's also a wedding going on here so we'll have some sweet African music to jam to. I voted Pictioary for tonight (the past night have been consumed by a various combinations of cards games (Uno, Peanut butter) and Mofia, Psychology...oh all these games that I didn't think I'd seee again after leaving day camp. :) Okay, hopefully I can write more soon. Miss and love you all! Habari za jioni!